Adam Van Grack’s gym doesn’t feature elliptical machines or overenthusiastic spinning instructors. And — as he effusively points out — there’s no membership fee.
“My gym is the … river,” the Bethesda resident says. “Five miles away, you’ve got Mather Gorge in Great Falls, Md. Almost every single Olympian in white water has done training [in the area].”
And rapids and kayaking areas typically aren’t adjacent to a major city, he added.
“The Potomac, as a river has class 1 to 5 [rapids], 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days out of the year.”
Whitewater rapids typically range in difficulty from class 1 (least treacherous) to class 5 (most treacherous). Van Grack does most of his training on class 3 rapids, but he also says he knows how to make a class 3 a class 5
“Instead of going down or around rapids, I go up rapids,” he said. “You haven’t really mastered a rapid until you go up it.”
Van Grack, 33, is more than holding his own on the water. Last month, he took first place overall in the Cheat Canyon Downriver Race in West Virginia — the largest white-water race in the U.S.
At a glance
Adam Van Grack
» 33 years old
» Lawyer who practices in Rockville
» Has worked for former U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes and former Vice President Gore
» Competes in about a dozen races a year
» Married to Kate and has a 5-month-old son, Caleb
Kayaking
» Freestyle: Kayakers do tricks to earn points; Van Grack likened it to BMX racing or ski-jumping
» Downriver/wild water racing
» Slalom: like slalom skiing, but racers are penalized for touching the gates or missing gates — some of which are upstream — that hang above the river
Potomac Downriver Race
» 55th running of the race will be held Saturday
» Begins at Rocky Island on the Potomac River and continues for 7.5 miles to Sycamore Island
» Preregistration fee is $20 if received by May 17; race day entrance fee will increase to $25
» For more information, visit sycamoreisland.org or canoecruisers.org
He didn’t have any expectations for the race — and didn’t even have the proper boat. Rather than racing in a “true wild river boat” — typically about 15 feet long — he took an old recreational boat, gutted it, and turned it into a downriver race boat. It was the first time that a race winner has used a “nontraditional” race boat, he said. On Saturday, Van Grack will take to the water in the 55th Canoe Cruisers Association’s Potomac Downriver Race, a 7.5-mile competition on the Potomac River.
Still, his goals aren’t necessarily tied to results. Van Grack says he is satisfied with simply getting out on the water — even if it involves a 5 a.m. wake-up call to head out onto the Potomac.
“Every year, I kind of take it as is,” he said. “I can’t think of a more rewarding sport out there, but I would caution students to give it time.”
Unlike sports such as basketball or soccer, kayaking adds potentially deadly water as another variable to the mix for Van Grack, a self-described “adrenaline junkie.”
“You still have to respect the river — there’s still a danger. It’s a great sport … know your limits.”
The top skill that kayakers must develop is to learn how to roll themselves over if the kayak tips — a skill that cannot be learned overnight.
“It’s a very difficult sport to start,” he said. “Don’t get discouraged.”
On the other hand, “it becomes addictive” once you get through it. And on any given weekend kayakers can go out and have fun for free.
“I can show up at a national park to kayak,” he said. “[It’s] a hell of a lot of fun — like a roller coaster.”
